Diamondbacks Pitching Prospect Wins 2nd Pitcher of Month Award

Eagen made four starts last month, going 1-0 with a 2.35 ERA in 23 innings pitched. He struck out 23 batters, while allowing a microscopic 10 hits for a .132 batting average against.

For the full season, Eagen has made 17 starts and thrown 84.2 innings, going 5-5 with a 2.87 ERA and a 3.24 FIP (Fielding independent pitching) to match.

Among pitchers with at least 60 innings pitched in the Northwest League, Eagen's 32.3% strikeout percentage is the highest in the league. His ERA ranks third and FIP ranks first.

With these types of numbers and two separate pitcher of the month awards, it's clear that Eagen has been the highest-performing prospect in his league. He is likely due for a promotion to Double-A Amarillo before the minor league season ends.

Eagen was a third-round draft pick in 2024 out of Presbyterian College in Clinton, South Carolina. He won Big South Pitcher of the Year honors in 2024, striking out 121 batters in 77. 2 innings and posting a 2.87 ERA. He stands 6'4" tall and weighs 205 pounds.

At the time he was drafted, Diamondbacks Scouting Director Ian Rebhan had this to say about him.

"He's a right-handed pitcher... we see him as a starter. Really good breaking ball, he's got two of them. The curveball has a chance to be plus. He's been up to 95 MPH.

"With that stuff, as a starter, earned Big South Player of the year, you can see by his performance, 121 strikeouts in 77 innings, just someone that we thought had a chance to be a major league starting pitcher... durable, he's proven himself as a starter."

Eagen did not get a chance to pitch in affiliated ball last year, spending the second half of the summer at the Salt River Complex continuation camp. But it's been evident early on that the Diamondbacks have a top-level prospect on the way.

During Spring Training, Director of Player Development Chris Slivka told me that Eagen was a guy to watch, as he looked extremely impressive. Following up with Slivka on May 30, he raved about Eagen's progress.

“His breaking stuff is great and the fastball is really playing at this level too, which has been good to see. It’s got really good life at the top of the zone, the north-south looks pretty deceptive for hitters too. He’s continuing to work on developing a split, so he has a fourth pitch in the works that he’s throwing a little bit."

No wonder Slivka was so impressed. Eagen had just completed four starts that month, posting a 1.69 ERA in 21.1 innings to nab the first of his two monthly awards.

Prospect rankings are subjective, and it's difficult to say who will truly emerge as the top pitchers at the major league level over the long haul. But if Eagen is promoted and continues to impress at the next level, he could be on a fast track to MLB.

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